From salt-coated windshields, to spin-out crashes, to canyon-like potholes, drivers’ headaches this winter have seemed relentless.

So relentless that one may assume the auto repair business is booming. But, truth be told, the effects for shops in the area aren’t always what the layman would expect.

Repeat snow storms may not make a real difference for auto repair shops. For car washes, however, they can make a huge difference.

Tracy Ushler, owner of Ushler’s East Side Auto Body, in Millville, said numbers are up about 10 percent lately. But that’s not an indicator that this has been an exceptional winter for business, she said.

“It’s hard to tell if it’s really more than most winters,” said Ushler from her shop just off East Broad Street in the Holly City.

“We probably won’t see a real fluctuation until about late March or early April.

“People are waiting for the weather to clear up before getting estimates.”

Those who don’t wait often come in to repair damage from “small fender benders, where people slide into the cars in front of them,” Ushler said.

Potholes can be a factor causing flat tires or even problems with lights. Bumps and vibrations from rough roadways can loosen wire connections to headlights or other lamps, Ushler explained.

Many drivers also tend to ignore issues with batteries or alternators until they become obvious in cold weather and it takes more to get the engine going, she pointed out.

In West Deptford Township, Boggs Auto Collision Rebuilders co-owner Jason Boggs gave a similar review of this winter’s business. But, he said, that’s not unusual, and he’s seeing about the same amount of business as at any other time of the year.

“The quick answer is ‘no,’ ” Boggs said when asked if the weather has brought in more customers.

“The Number One indicator of work supply in the industry is miles driven,” he explained.

Snow means people drive less. And less driving means that, although bad roadways will bring some crashes, they won’t necessarily drive business beyond the norm for Boggs and others in the auto repair industry.

When asked if March and April bring delayed repairs to his shop as they do to Ushler's, Boggs said they do.

“There’s no doubt that there’s a delay effect,” he said of the break in weather that can bring an uptick in customers.

Boggs said customers may reschedule repairs during wintry weather. Snow can also delay getting vehicles in and out of the business’ lots until they’re plowed.

The timing of a snowstorm can also affect business, Boggs said. A heavier-than-expected mid-day storm can force many people to leave work early, loading the roadways with vehicles.

A storm with plenty of warning or one on a weekend, however, often means that most will stay home. And some people simply delay repairs until they receive their income tax refunds.

Of course, other winter factors can bring business, Boggs said, as his shop has seen plenty cases of snow-loaded tree branches falling on cars.

While frequent snow hasn’t been a boon to him, a plentiful market has kept the Boggs garages busy.

“We’re scheduling about the same number of vehicles as usual,” Boggs said. “We have a good customer base, bad weather or not.”

For him, the difference between winter storms and fair skies is the same as it is for most people.

“People say to me, ‘Wow, you must be doing well with all this snow,’ ’’ Boggs said, "but I can’t wait to see spring just like everybody else.”

Car wash owners, meanwhile, wouldn’t mind an extended winter. Bruce Peterson, owner of Keep It Shining Car Wash on Shiloh Pike in Hopewell Township, Cumberland County, didn’t even have to think when asked if the snow has brought extra business.

“Absolutely, there’s been a big increase,” said Peterson, a former mayor and current committeeman for nearby Upper Deerfield Township.

“After the last storm, it was probably four times the average,” he added.

“A little over a week ago, every car wash around was putting as many through as it could. We all had long lines.”

Peterson said it was probably the same along most of the East Coast, “from Maine to Georgia,” after recent storms that have hit the Southeast as well as the northern latitudes.

He noted that such storms bring an increase in an already busy time of the year.

“Winter and early spring are the best times of the year for the car wash industry,” Peterson said. He noted that brine can be a bit harder to wash off than salt.

He also warned that drivers should have the undercarriages of their vehicles cleaned before too long.

“It’s critical that people get the underside washed,” Peterson said, explaining that, otherwise, very expensive damage could occur from road chemicals.

“I would recommend that everyone get that done soon,” he said. “They should do it within a few weeks.”